National Geographic on the Science of Marijuana

National Geographic’s June issue features an in-depth look at the science and medicine of marijuana that will certainly enlighten many minds.

NatGeo met with the discoverer of THC, Raphael Mechoulam, who reports: “We have just scratched the surface…we may well discover that cannabinoids are involved in some way in all human diseases.”

The magazine also went inside a 20,000-plant grow in Denver, and interviewed a biochemist who is studying the plant’s anti-tumor properties:

“‘…tumors in a third of the rats were eradicated and in another third, reduced. ‘The problem is,’ he says, ‘mice are not humans. We do not know if this can be extrapolated to humans at all.’”

The article concludes with a geneticist assembling the raw, unsorted code of cannabis DNA into its proper order:

“‘…with this cannabis work, the science will not be incremental. It will be transformative. Transformative not just in our understanding of the plant but also of ourselves—our brains, our neurology, our psychology. Transformative in terms of the biochemistry of its compounds. Transformative in terms of its impact across several different industries, including medicine, agriculture, and biofuels. It may even transform part of our diet—hemp seed is known to be a ready source of a very healthy, protein-rich oil.’”